Years of bracket chaos have given way to the year of the power conference.
Cinderella is staying home this time.
The Sweet 16, a popular destination for bracket-busting mid-majors, will be made up entirely of teams from power conferences, a first since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Not a Saint Peter’s or Loyola Chicago in the bunch. Not even a Butler or Gonzaga.
The bracket was set up for this following a chalky first round, when the top four seeds went a combined 16-0 for the sixth time ever. Two No. 12 seeds got through to the second round and one 11.